Safety connecting devices



Feb. 24, 1959 c. c. CATTELL 2,874,531

SAFETY CONNECTING DEVICES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 28, 1956 INVENTOR:

ELIFFUHD E. EATTELL.

Feb. 24, 1959 c. c. CATTELL 2,874,531

SAFETY CONNECTING DEVICES Filed May 28, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.i M 42 4/ 45 H ELIPPURN LZLAT r2 ATT'Y United States Patent SAFETYCONNECTING nnvrcns Clifford c. Cattell, Adrian, Mich.

Application May 28, 1956, Serial No. 587,507

14 Claims. or. 58-23) This invention relates to electrical connectingand supporting devices. More particularly, it deals with a combinedelectrical plug and socket bracket for an electrical device to besupported on a wall and retained from falling even when the electricalplug is not engaged in the socket, such as for an'electric clock.

This application is a continuation-in-part of Clifford C. Cattellcopending application Serial No. 370,727 filed July 28, 1953 (series of1948) for Connecting Devices, now U. S. Patent No. 2,767,009 issuedOctober 16, 1956.

Previously electrical wall instruments or devices, such as electricclocks, were either mounted with electrical conductors or wiresextending along the wall to them from an electric outlet, or if theywere attached to a special eelctrical outlet, they were fastened to thewall in such a manner that they could not easily be removed from thewall for repairs without tools such as at least a screw driver.

It is an object of this invention to produce a simple, safe, etficient,effective and economical single connecting bracket for an electricaldevice which device may be readily installed or removed without the aidof tools.

Another object is to produce a combined bracket and electricalconnection which is maintained connected and in position by the weightof the device supported by the bracket.

Another object is to produce such a combined bracket and electricalconnection for a device to be hung on a wall which retains the devicewhether or not the electrical connection is made or not, so that releaseof the electrical connection only will not at the same instant releasethe device from the bracket on the wall, thereby preventing the devicefrom falling in the event that the electrical connection may becomedisconnected.

Another. object is to produce such a combined bracket and electricalconnection which may support an electrical device flush with a wall orsurface without any visible means of connection.

Another object is to provide such a bracket or support and electricalconnection which may be fitted into a type of electrical outlet boxmounted on a wall.

Another object is to provide such a combined bracket and electricalconnection with a safety hanger which also acts as a grounding clip forthe electrical connection between the device and the support therefor onthe wall.

Generally speaking, the support and connecting device of this inventioncomprises an electrical socket connector mounted in the base of aU-shaped channel bracket, the sides of which bracket are placed at aslight angle to parallelism with the floor with their open ends slightlyupwardly; and a cooperating electrical plug connector. mounted on aprojecting base having a pair of parallel sides spaced equal to andsubstantially coextensive with the inner surface of the sides of theU-shaped channel bracket, whereby the insertion of the plug into thecooperating socket also supports the insulated base of the plug betweenthe sides of the U-shaped channel brackets.

Since these sides of the bracket are slightly inclined downwardly fromtheir open end into which the socket fits, the weight of the device inwhich the plug and its base are attached normally maintains the plug inthe socket as well as the base in the bracket. Mounted on the plug or onthe device adjacent the plug may be provided a pair of hook or hangermeans also which may cooperate with seats or notches on or adjacent thebracket, which engage before the electrical connection between the plugand socket is made so as to act as a safety hanger or support for thedevice on the bracket and prevent its falling from the wall or bracketas soon as the electrical connection has been broken. This hanger meansalso may act as an electrical ground connection to the device. Thesupporting sides of the bracket are of suflicient width and the hangermeans is of sufiicient length and shape so that an electrical connectioncannot be made between the plug or hanger and the socket elements untilat least the end of the hanger means is seated and the edge of the baseof the plug is in contact with the outer edge of the side of thesupporting bracket, thereby avoiding any possibility of obtaining anelectrical short circuit during the placing or removal of the device onthe bracket.

Such a bracket connection may be mounted within an electrical outlet boxmounted on or in a wall and a two prong conventional plug with itsinsulated base and hanger means may be mounted on the back of anelectrical device, such as an electric clock, so that said device may bemounted flush against the wall into a conventional two hole or slotelectrical socket and with the mechanism of the device fitting into theoutlet box. In such a neat and flush assembly an additional resilientconnecting means may be provided for mounting the transparent lens on adisk or face of the clock whereby as little as possible of the clockprojects beyond the plane outer surface of the wall.

The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention andthe manner of attaining them are given more specific disclosure in thefollowing description of an embodiment of the invention which relates tothe fastening of an electric clock flush with a wall in a type ofelectrical outlet box as shown in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of an assembled electric clock connected toand mounted in an outlet box flush on a vertical wall incorporating thecombined bracket, supporting hanger and electrical connection of oneembodiment of this invention, with the clock being shown in dotted linesin the position where it is only supported by the hanger and disengagedfrom the bracket and electrical connection;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the back of theclock shown in Fig. 1 showing the electrical connecting plug, the safetyhanger means, and a portion of the rim for fastening the lens of theclock;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged face view of the top portion of the outlet boxshown in Fig. 1, showing the supporting bracket, electrical socket, andseats for the hanger means;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken along lines IV--IV of Fig. 3, andshowing in dotted lines the cooperating plug and hanger means inposition just before insertion and connection therewith;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of only the bracket shown in Figs. 3 and 4;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view only of the protector housing mounted belowthe bracket and socket shown in section in Figs. 3 and 4;

Fig. 7 is a top plan view only of the electrical socket mounted in thebase of the bracket shown in Figs. 3 and 4;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of only the safety hanger Fig. 9 is aperspective view of only the plug and its supporting base, whichtogether with the hanger means shown in Fig. 8 isrnounted on the back ofthe clock as shownin'Fig. 2; and I V a Fig. IO-is a perspective view ofthe basket the clock shown in Fig. l witl'ith'e plug and hangerrneans'removed, showing the spring engaging clips for maintaining therim for the lens flush with the lens on the face of the clock. a i 3Referring first to Fig. l of the drawings, 'there is shown an electricoutlet box 10 of the typewhich may be readily mounted on orwithin thesurface of a vertical wall 11, which outlet box may be provided with anopening 12 in one of its sides for electrical supply conductors 13 and14. The open or front side of the box it; may be provided with ears15'and'l6 (see Figs. 2 and 3) extendinginwardly from its edges, intowhich screws 17 and'18, respectively, may engage in threaded openingsfor fastening a face plate or other member to the box 10.

Aconnecting device or bracket 26 according to this invention may bemounted across the top front side of the open end of the outlet box 10as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, which bracket may have oppositelyextending cars 21 and 22 in the same plane, through which the screws 17and 18 may fasten the bracket to the outlet box 10. An essential portionof the bracket 20 comprises a conventional type of two hole electricalsocket 23, which may be of some nonvconducting plastic material having apair of parallel slots '24 and 25 therein, inside of which slots may belocated or molded a pair of electrical terminals 26 and 27 (see Fig. 7)respectively, connected to the conductors 13 and'14 by means such asscrews 28 and 29.

. This socket 23 may be mountedin an aperture 39 in the base portion 31of the bracket 29 by means of rivets or' screws 32 and 33 throughflanges 34 and 35 mounted on or molded with the socket 23. The plane ofthe base portion 31 is at a slight angle to the plane of the ears 21 and22, say at less than about 20 and preferably about 10 of arc. This baseportion forms the bottom of a pocket which may have end sides '36 and 37which connect it with the cars 21 and 22, respectively. Perpendicular tothe base portion 31 and extending at least part of-the distance betweenthe end sides 36 and 37, is a pair of parallel sides 38 and 39 which maybe flared outwardly at their outer ends, and taken together with thebase portion 31 form a U-shaped channel portion of the supportingbracket. The device to be supported on the wall 11 is held between thesesides 38 and 39 with the lower side 39 supporting the weight of such adevice when its electrical connection is made. Since the sides 38 and 39are perpendicular to the base portion 31, which is at an angle to thevertical wall 11, these sides 33 and 39 are correspondingly at an angleto the horizontal so that the pocket or U-shaped channel formed betweenthem opens outwardly and slightly upwardly, and thereby retainsanydevice' placed into it by the weight of the device itself.

Between the base 31 of the bracket 2% and the plug 2 3 there may bemounted also by means of the screws 32 and 33, an additional orshielding member 4t)- (see Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 6) having a mounting flangeportion 41 with an aperture 42 therein in alignment with the aperture inthe base 31 for the front of socket member 23. The upper outer cornersof the flange portion 41, which extend above and on each side of theupper side 33 of the bracket 2% may be provided with a pair of slots 43and .44- (see Figs. 3 and 6) which .act as seats for the hanger means aswill be described later. The lower and shield portion of the member asmay comprise a curved baflle 45 with outwardly bevelled edges 46 forseparating the socket 23 from the other parts in the outlet box it andfor guiding the conductors 13 and 14 (see Fig. 1) to the socket 23 outand away from the central space of the box It) so they will notinterfere with any of the mechanism of the device which may extend intothe outlet box 10, such as the motor and for the clock to be mountedflush with the wall.

Cooperating with the U-shaped pocket of bracket 20 and its electricalsocket 23, thereflis provided an electrical supporting plugfitl .(seeFigs. 2 and 9) having a pair of projecting metal prongs 51 and formaking an electrical contact in the "slots 24 and 25 with the terminals25 and 27, respectively. These prongs 51 and 52 may comprise L-shapedmembers which nlay be imbedded in a base block member '53, preferably ofnon-conductive material, such as for example, a stack of comparativelystiff plates 54 of plastic reinforced fiber material. Be-

tween a pair of plates at about the center of said stack 7 of plates 5the feet 55 and 56 of the L-shaped prongs may be sandwiched and proiectoutwardly beyond the opposite sides of the block 53 (see Fig. 9 Such astack of plates 54 including the feet 55 and 56 may be held together andanchored to a base support, by means of insulated rivets or screws 57and 53. The longer opposite parallel sides of said insulated block 5 3(or edges of the stack of plates 54) are dimensioned so that they snuglyfit into and between the sides 38 and 39 of the U-shaped channel orpocket in the bracket 29, and thereby support the device to which theplug 543 is attached.

At the base, or opposite side of the block 53 from the projectingconductor prongs 51 and 52, there may be sandwiched the mounting flangeof a safety hanger and metal ground clip member or means 6i) (see Figs.1, 2 and 8) comprising a mounting flange 61 which may extend beyond oneach side and also a little above the surface of the base. of the block53 to provide support for a pair of parallel hanger extensions 62 and 63extending at right angles to the flange 61 for a distance beyond andparallel to that of the electrical conducting prongs ,51 and 52 of theplug as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, whereby the hanger extensions uponconnecting the device to the wall 11 are. inserted on either side of theupper supporting side 38 of the bracket 2% (see Fig. 3). These hangerextensions 62 and 63 herein have upwardly bent book ends 64 and 6 5 forengagement with the tops of the slots 43 and 44, respectively, on themounting flange 41 of the-shielding member 49 fastened with the bracket20.

Since the hanger means 60 and its extensions 62 and 63 are metal andthey engage the metal shielding member 40 which is grounded through thebracket 20 to the box 16, the hanger means at may also act as a groundclip for electrically grounding the housing of the device when it ismounted on the wall Ell.

Thus, in mounting the device on the wall'in the sup-' porting bracket20, the extensions 62 and 63 of the safety hanger means 64) must firstbe inserted in the slots 43 and 44 through which they normally freelyslide as the plug 53 is fitted into the U-shaped channel of the bracket20 and and the electrical prongs 51 and 52 are fitted into the socket23. However, when the plug 53 is pulled out of the socket 23 into thedotted line position for the device or clock shown in Fig. 1, the hooks64 and 65 engage the upper ends of the slots 43 and 44 to prevent thedevice from being pulled further until the device is tilted in the otheror clockwise direction from that shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, tounhook the prongs 64 and 65 from the tops of the slots 43 and 44, sothat the whole device may then be removed from the wall 11.

The device shown herein to be mounted by the connections of'thisinvention comprises an electric clock 70 shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 10having an electric motor 71 connected to the terminals 56 and 55 byconductor wires 72 and 73, respectively, which motor '71 may be mountedon a gear mechanism housing'74 which in turn is mounted on a dial plateor disk 75. On the other side of the disk 75 may be located a clock dialor face 76 (see Fig.1) with numbers to which the hour and minute hands78 and 79, respectively, may point. Over the face 76 and hands 78 and 79there may be provided a transparent convexoconcave lens 80, such as ofglass or plastic. Mounted on or pushed out from the back of the sheetmetal disk or dial plate 75 may be provided an angular base support 81(see Figs. 1, 4 and on which the plug base block 53 and mounting flange61 may be simultaneously attached with the screws 57 and 58 that alsohold the plates 54 of the block 53 together. The angle of the surface ofthe supporting base 81 on the disk 75 is preferably equal to the anglethat the base 31 of the bracket 20 is to the vertical, and may even be afew degrees more to insure a good hooking engagement in the U-shapedchannel or pocket in the bracket 20, and to insure a close fitting ofthe lower edge of the clock 70 against the wall 11 (see Fig. 1). Sincethe whole weight of the clock 70 is normally supported by the block 53in the bracket 20, and this block and bracket are located at an angle tothe horizontal, the weight of the clock helps to maintain the electricalconnection between the plug and socket and prevents the clock from beingeasily vibrated off the wall.

The above assembly for an electrical clock and its mounting on the wall11 free from any exposed electrical connections or wires, is made evenmore flush with the wall by the use of its specific split retaining rimor ring 85, preferably of a resilient metal such as aluminum, whichholds the lens 80 in place over the dial 76 and its backing plate 75.Some details of this ring are shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 10 in which therim or ring itself comprises a U-shaped channel strip which is bentaround in a circle with its side flanges 86 an 87 extending toward itscenter and engaging, respectively, along the outer sides of theperipheral edges of the lens 80 and the backing plate 75, therebyholding their edges together. To further insure tight engagement betweenthe edge of the lens 80 and backing plate 75, there may be providedmeans at spaced intervals around the periphery of the backing plate 75,such as outwardly bent resilient cars 88 shown in Figs. 2 and 10, whichurge the outer edge 86 of the channel 85 against the lens 80.

The ends of the central base portion 89 of the U-shaped channel strip orrim 85 may be provided with a dovetailed joint 90 to hold the ring in agiven radius once it is assembled around the periphery of the clock. Inorder to cover this dove-tailed joint 90 and to prevent one end thereoffrom radiallly springing out of engagement with the other end, acovering strip 91 (see Figs. 1 and 2) may be provided therefor of a thinsheet material, preferably metal, which together with a double springshaped wire member 92 may cooperate with lugs 93 upset from thebackplate 75 to further hold the ends of the rim 85 in position andcover the dove-tailed joint 90, as has been described in more detail inthe above mentioned copending application Serial No. 370,727, now U. S.Patent No. 2,767,009 issued October 16, 1956.

Although the particular structures of the connecting devices disclosedherein have been illustrated for an electric wall clock which is mountedwith its dial face flush with the wall, the features of this structuremay also be applied to other devices than clocks which require both abracket support and electrical connection, as well as a safety means forpreventing them from falling from the wall once the electricalconnection is disconnected, without a further exertion of force at adifferent angle opposite to that of gravity alone. Such devices mayinclude meters on a panel, wall lamps, and the like without departingfrom the scope of this invention.

The ready manner in which the clock or similar electrical devices can beinterchanged without the presence or nuisance of loose conductor wiresis a very material advantage of this invention and enables a repair manto snap, hang or put in place a spare device immediately while thefaulty one may be removed to a shop for reairs.

p While there is described above the principles of this invention inconnection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood thatthis description is made only by way of example and not as a limitationto the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical plug and socket combined with a safety support andbracket for a device mounted on a vertical wall, comprising: a brackethaving a pair of outwardly and slightly upwardly extending plates, asocket countersunk between said plates, a support having a pair of sidesextending outwardly and slightly downwardly and being spaced apart adistance equal to the distance between said plates, a hanger meansextending from said support, a plug projecting beyond the end of saidsupport and between said sides for cooperation with said socket whensaid sides are fitted between said plates, and means with said socketfor cooperating with said hanger means to prevent said device fromfalling off said wall immediately after said plug is removed from saidsocket.

2. An electrical plug and socket with a safety support and bracket for adevice according to claim 1 wherein said hanger means includes agrounding connection between said device and said bracket.

3. An electrical plug and socket with a safety support and bracket for adevice according to claim 1 wherein said hanger means comprises a pairof prongs parallel to said projecting plug and extending outwardly fromsaid device beyond said plug for retaining said device in said bracketuntil said hanger means is separately released after the disengagementof said plug from said socket.

4. A self-holding wall bracket and support combined with an electricalplug and socket connecting device for an electrically operated meanscomprising: a U-shaped channel wall bracket having a base and two sideportions substantially perpendicular thereto, said bracket being mountedon a vertical wall with its open end outwardly and upwardly from saidwall and said side portions at an angle of less than 20 with thehorizontal, a pair of spaced electrical contacts located in aperturesinwardly of said base, an insulating supporting block mounted on saidelectrically operated means, a cooperating pair of electrical prongedcontacts mounted on said block, said block having parallel sides spacedapart substantially the same distance as the distance between the innersurfaces of said side portions of said bracket, whereby saidelectrically operated means is both electrically connected and supportedby said block in said bracket and said cooperating electrical contactsassociated therewith.

5. A bracket and support according to claim 4 wherein said bracket iscountersunk in the wall.

6. A bracket and support according to claim 4 including a hanger meansextending from said supporting block, and means adjacent said bracketfor cooperating with said hanger means to prevent said device fromfalling off the wall immediately after said supporting means is removedfrom said bracket.

7. A bracket and support combined with an electric plug and socket foran electrically operated means according to claim 4 including groundconducting means between said bracket and said electrically operatedmeans for engagement at the same time as said electrical contacts.

8. An electric wall clock mounting and connection comprising: a U-shapedbracket mounted on a vertical wall, said bracket having at the baseportion of said U a first pair of electrical terminals, and beingmounted on said wall with said base toward said wall and the sideportions of said U at a slight angle to the horizontal, an electricclock assembly, a second pair of electrical terminals mounted on saidassembly which terminals coopcrate with said first pair of terminals atthe base portion ofsaid U of said bracket, an insulated supporting blockfor said terminals on said assembly, said block having parallel sidesspaced substantially equal to the distance between said side portions ofsaid .U-shaped bracket, said sides'being at'an angle tothe horizontalsubstantially equal toithe angle that said side portions of said U haveto the horizontal, whereby the weight'of said clock assembly issupported by said insulated block in said bracket and said pairs ofelectrical terminals are simultaneously thereby maintained in contactwith each other.

9. A mounting and connection according to claim 8 wherein said bracketis mounted in an electrical outlet box mounted in the wall.,

10. A mounting and connection according to claim 8 wherein said clockassembly comprises a dial face plate, and said insulated supportingblock is mounted on the back of said face plate.

11. A mounting and connection according to claim l0 wherein said backofrsaid face -.plate-is mounted on thei wall and said bracket andsocketafe mountedto an outlet ooXin's'aidwall. V, p i

12. A mounting and connectionaccording to claim 8 including a groundconnection between said block assembly and said bracket. 7

13. A mounting and connection according to claim 12 wherein said groundconnection includes safety hook means for hanging said clock on saidbracket immediately before said electrical connection is engaged andimmediately after it has been disengaged.

14. A mounting andconnection according to claim 13 wherein said safetyhook means comprises a pair of hooks parallel to said terminals mountedon said assembly and extending beyond said terminals, and engaging meanson said bracket for cooperating with said hooks.

No references cited.

